Electric control system for singly and sequentially firing ballistic missiles



i958 NiLS-ERIK G. KULLER AL 2,24,4

ELECTRIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SINGLY AND SEQUENTIALLY FIRING BALLISTIC MISSILES Filed July 6, 1955 INVENTOR. NiLS-ERIK GUSTAF KULLER KARL-JggN THORILD THORILDSSON ATTORNEYS ELECTRIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SINGLY AND SEQUENTIALLY BALLISTIC NIISSILES Nils-Erik Gustaf Kiiller, Karlskoga, and Karl-John Thorild Thorildsson, Bofors, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Bofors, Bofors, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application July 6, 1955, Serial No. 520,304

Claims priority, application Sweden July 9, 1954 6 Claims. (CI. 89-17) The present invention relates to an electric control system for singly and sequentially firing several ballistic missiles, and more particularly ballistic missiles such as airborne rockets or bombs which are mounted in clusters, but individually fired by activating a firing system which in turn ignites the propulsion charge of the missile.

Ballistic missiles of the kind herein referred to such as rockets, are joined in clusters in which the individual rockets are stacked side by side, each rocket having its own firing system. The clusters are suspended from an aircraft wing by fastening the uppermost rocket to the wing structure and the lower rockets to each other in a position such that the longitudinal axes of the rockets are at substantially a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the wing and substantially parallel to the axis of the fuselage.

The heretofore conventional arrangement of controlling the firing systems of the rockets is directly to connect the firing systems of all the rockets by individual cables to a central electrical control station including a source of current and suitably disposed within the fuselage. The rockets are singly and sequentially fired by setting and operating the control station so that the firing system of the lowermost rocket only is activated.

The use of individual cables leading to the common control station presents serious difiiculties and dangers. The connecting and mounting of the cables result in a rather complicated installation and are difficult to make in the field and under all weather conditions. It has also been found that the pressure of the propulsion gases of a fired rocket and even the slipstream of the aircraft may propel the cables against the wing structure with sufiicient force to cause damage.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved electric control system of the general kind above referred to which permits individual firing of a plurality of missiles such as rockets without requiring separate cables leading directly to a common control station thereby eliminating the aforedescribed difiiculties and dangers inherent in the use of individual cables.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved electric control system in which the firing systems of all the rockets of a cluster are interconnected through the rocket bodies, but the firing system of the lowermost rocket only can be activated upon operation of the control station.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved electric control system in which each firing system includes as component of the control system a safety member which is one position strongly locks the associated rocket to the next higher rocket and in another position lightly locks the said rockets together, said safety member being automatically moved into its position lightly locking the respective rockets when the rocket associated with it is rendered operative 2,824,496 Patented Feb. 25, 1958 ICC for actuation by the control station. This arrangement affords the advantage of securing the rockets in position without interfering with the singly and sequentially firing of the same.

Further objects, features and advantages of the mvention will be pointed out hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims forming part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary isometric sectional view of a cluster of rockets equipped with an electric control system according to the invention, and

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the cluster of rockets according to Fig. 1 shown suspended from the wing of an aircraft.

Referring now to the figures in detail, the cluster of rockets is shown as comprising two rockets, but it may contain initially more than two rockets.

The two rockets 1 and 2 comprise each a war head 3, an intermediate section 4 containing part of the electric control system according to the invention, a motor section 5 housing the propulsion charges, and a nozzle section 6 which includes four guide vanes or fins 7. Each fin has a slot 8. The slots of the upper two fins of each rocket are interlocked with the two lower fins of the next higher rocket of the cluster, and the two upper fins of the uppermost rocket of the cluster engage a bracket 10 suspended from the structure of wing 9. As a result, the rear ends of all the rockets are joined so as to permit sliding forward movement of the rockets when the same are sequentially fired. The forward end of the uppermost rocket is suspended from the wing structure by means of flanges 12 and 13 formed on a support 11 suitably secured to the wing. Flanges 12 and 13 are in slidable engagement with guide tracks 14 and 15. Each rocket has on its upper side such guide tracks 14 and 15 and on its lower side flanges 12 and 13'. As a result, each rocket can be joined to the next higher rocket or to the wing structure. The coacting engaging and receiving coupling means thus provided on the rockets and the wing structure retain the entire cluster suspended from the wing. They also permit forward sliding of the rockets, but prevent rearward sliding of the rockets. It is of course possible and within the scope of the invention to vary the configuration of the coacting coupling means at the front and rear end of the rocket. It is only essential for the purpose of the invention that they permit and prevent respectively the aforesaid movements of the rockets relative to each other and to the wing structure.

The electric control system according to the invention comprises a central control station 23 which is suitably disposed on the aircraft, generally within the fuselage for operation by a member of the crew.

The control station is diagrammatically shown as comprising a source of current 24 and an operating switch 25. The control station is connected by wires 21 and 22 to contacts 19 and 20 insulated from each other and fitted with blank ends substantially flush in the side of support 11 facing and engaging the uppermost rocket 1. Contacts 19 and 20 are in sliding engagement with contacts 26 and 27 fitted in the upper side of the rocket when rocket 1 is suspended from the wing structure. Contact pairs 19, 20 and 26, 27 may be spring loaded so that reliable engagement is obtained between the coacting contacts. Contacts 26 and 27 are connected to two contact arms 30 and 31 which are mounted insulated from each other in a body 32. This body is fitted upon or constitutes part of a bar 33 which is axially displaceable in a bore extending through the body of the rocket-trans-' 3 versely of the'longitudinal axis thereof, or in other words transversely of the sliding direction of the rockets when the same are fired.

7 Contact arms 30 and 31 .each coact with a pair of contacts 34, 40 and 35, 41 respectively. Contacts 40 and 41 areconnected by wires 42 and 43 to the firing system 44 of the rocket. The firing system should be visualized as being conventional and so arranged that upon supplymg current to the same a chain of operations resulting in firing the propulsion charges of the rocket is initiated.

Contacts 34 and 35 are connected by wires 36 and 37 respectively to contacts 38 and 39. These contacts are similar to contacts 19 and 20 and are fitted in the body of the rocket, or more specifically in the part thereof forming coupling flanges 18 and 17. The blank ends of the contacts are substantially flush with the body of the rocket for engagement with contacts 26 and 27 fitted in the upper side of the next lower rocket and leading to contact arms 30 and 31 of the said rocket. V

Reverting'to body 32 and bar 33 supporting the same, the bar is urged downwardly by an upper loaded spring 46 into the position shown in Fig. l for the lower rocket 2, in which the lower tip of the bar protrudes from the bottom side of the body of rocket 2. A lower spring 45 limits the downward movement of the bar. In the lower position of the bar contact arms 30, 31 engage contacts 40, 41 leading to firing system 44. The bar of each rocket coacts with the body of the next lower rocket so that it is held by the next lower rocket in its upper popition in which contact arms 30 and 31'engage contacts 34 and 35 leading to the respective contacts 38 and 39. The bar of rocket 1 is shown in the upper position. The upper end of the uppermost bar engages a recess 47 in support 11 and the upper end of each lower rocket engages a similar recess 48 in the bottom side of each lower rocket. The tip of each bar is structurally weakened in relation to the remaining part of the bar, for instance by providing a slot 49. The length of bar 33 is such that the strong or nonweakened part of the bar protrudes into the respective recess when the bar is in its upper position (rocket 1), and that the weakened tip only protrudes into-the respective recess when the bar is in its lower position (rocket 2), or in other words that the weakened part of the bar is situated between the bodies of an upper and a lower rocket or between the body of the uppermost rocket and the body of support 11. As a result, bar 33 in addition to being a switching member constitutes a locking member which in its upper position firmly locks a rocket against a forward sliding movement relative to its support and in its lower position lightly locks each rocket against such sliding movement.

The operation of the electric control device as hereinbefore described, is as follows:

Let it be assumed that rockets 1 and 2 are assembled in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Then, bar 33 of rocket 1 is in its upper position by engagement with the body of rocket 2 and bar 33 of rocket 2 is in its lower position due to the action of spring 46 since there 18 no lower rocket to counterbalance the action of the spring. As a result, rocket 1 is strongly secured against sliding displacement in forward direction whereas rocket 2 is lightly secured to rocket 1. As is evident, the weakened tip of the lower bar can be readily sheared off when the lowermost rocket 2 is fired. Furthermore, control station 23 is connected to the firing system 44 of the lowermost rocket only, the firing system 44 of rocket 1 being disconnected at its contacts 40 and 41. Consequently, closing of switch 25 in control station 23 can cause firing of the lowermost rocket only. This rocket when moving forwardly by the action of its propulsion gases Will shear off the weakened tip of its bar 33. Rocket 1 now becomes the lowermost rocket and accordingly its bar 33 will move into the lower position V 4 thereby connecting contacts 40, 41 to connect the firing system 44 to control station 23.

While as mentioned before, two rockets only are shown to simplify the illustration, any number of rockets may a be similarly suspended. Irrespective of the number of rockets in the cluster, the firing system of the lowermost rocket only is connected to the control station and the next higher rocket will be automatically armed when the lowermost rocket is fired.

While the circuit connections of the control system are all shown as wires it is evident that some of the circuit connections may be formed by the bodies of the rockets proper, provided the rocket bodies are made of electrical- 1y conductivematerial.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a certain now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric control system for singly and sequentially firing ballistic missiles each having a firing system and joined in a cluster in side by side arrangement, said control system comprising a switch means in each missile, each of said switch means including a pair of contacts and a switch member movable between a closed and open position relative to said pair of contacts and biased toward a closing position therewith, the said pair of contacts being connected in circuit with the respective firing system, a central control station including a source of current, control circuit means including said source of current, said pair of contacts in each missile and the switch member in each missile, the contact open position of the switch member of each missile to be fired later in the sequence being maintained by the presence of an adjacent missile to be fired previouslythereto, a part of each missile engaging with the said switch member of another missile to be sequentially fired next after the firing of said one missile holding said switch member in said open position, and the sequential firing of said one missile automatically releasing said switch member of said other missile to be next fired for movement by said bias into the position closing said pair of contacts connected with the respective firing system whereby upon actuation of the control circuit means current is supplied from said source of current to the firing system of the missile next to be fired only.

2. An electric control system according to claim 1, wherein the parts of each missile engaging the switch members of other missiles are formed by the bodies of the missiles, the body of each missile retaining the switch member of the missile sequentially next posterior in the firing order in said open position relative to said pair of contacts in the control circuit, whereby the switch member in the missile next to be fired is released to be biased into said closed position with the contacts of the respective firing system.

3. An electric control system according to claim 2, wherein each of said switch members is displaceably mounted in the respective missile and biased toward one position having one end protruding from the body of the missile, said one protruding position being the closed position of the switch member closing the contacts of the respective firing system, the body of the missile sequentially next anterior in the firing order retaining the switch member in said open position thereof against the action of the bias.

4. An installation for singly and sequentially firing airborneballastic missiles each having a firing system and suspended from the wing structure of an aircraft in form of a depending cluster, said installation comprising support means attachable to the wing structure for slidably supporting the uppermost missile, engaging and receiving coupling means on each missile, the coupling means of each two adjacent missiles slidably engaging each other for joining the missiles to form said depending cluster, a central control station including a source of current and adapted to be located in the aircraft, each missile including a switch means, each of said switch means comprising two pairs of contacts and a switch member movable between said two pairs of contacts and biased into a position closing one pair of said contacts, the said pair of contacts being connected in circuit with the firing system of the respective missle, each missile further having first two contact points located at the outside of the respective missile and connected with the contacts of the respective other pair of contacts and second two contact points located at the outside of the respective missile and connected with the switch member of the respective missile, third two contact points located at the outside of said support means and connected to said source of current, said first, second and third two contact points being disposed and correlated so that the third contact points engage the second contact points of the uppermost missile and the first contact points of each missile engage the second contact points of the next lower missile, and means holding the switching members of all the missiles except the lowermost missile next to be fired in the position of closing the pair of contacts connected to the respective first contact points, the switch member of the lowermost missile closing the pair of contacts connected to its firing system whereby the firing system of the lowermost missile is connected in circuit with said source of current, energization of said circuit activating the firing system of the lowermost missile.

5. An installation according to claim 4, wherein each of said switch members is biased into a position protruding from the respective missile on the side thereof facing the next lower missile, said position of the switch member being the position closing the contacts connected to the respective firing system, the body of each missile except the lowermost one retaining the switch member of the next higher missile in the position in which the switch member thereof closes the pair of contacts leading to the first two contact points of the respective missile,

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein each switch member is slidably guided within its missile transversely of the sliding direction thereof and comprises two contact arms insulated from each other, each of said contact arms being connected to one of the respective second contact points and engageable with one contact of either pair of contacts in the respective missile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,442,766 Garvin June 8, 1948 2,591,834 Kuka Apr. 8, 1952 2,706,431 Grill Apr. 19, 1955 2,788,712 Kuller et al. Apr. 16, 1957 

